[Mistral75]

The longest one was between K-5, September 20th 2010 and K-01 on February 2nd 2012. In between there was the change of ownership.

That's true for K-mount cameras but there were several Pentax camera announcements between K-5 and K-01: Optio WG-1, Optio S1, Optio RS1500, Q, Optio RZ18 and Optio VS20.

[reh321]

That's true for K-mount cameras but there were several Pentax camera announcements between K-5 and K-01: Optio WG-1, Optio S1, Optio RS1500, Q, Optio RZ18 and Optio VS20.

Would all those 'Optio' cameras be Ricoh today?

Maybe the "Q" will re-emerge someday as a Ricoh.

[monochrome]

That is at the root of my negative emotional reaction to Ricoh in general and to the GRiii in specific. Ever since Photokina, 'promises' to Pentax users have become more and more vague {we 'know' less than we did six months ago} while news to Ricoh users has become better and better.

Note this interesting response Class A made to my post upthread —-

Ricoh booth at CP+ - Page 10 - PentaxForums.com

[Mistral75]

Class A is a vile copycat.

Ricoh GR III slide presentation from the official announcement in the UK (including three slides about WG-6 and G900) :

The Development of the Ricoh GR III | Photography Blog

[monochrome]

Class A is a vile copycat.

OMG that’s hilarious. Post kenspo the NDA’s seem to have been tightened.

[JPT]

That's true for K-mount cameras but there were several Pentax camera announcements between K-5 and K-01: Optio WG-1, Optio S1, Optio RS1500, Q, Optio RZ18 and Optio VS20.

Well I know from talking to Ricoh Imaging people that the K-5 II and the Q10 were delayed by several months because of the 2011 earthquake (not the acquisition). The Q10 was supposed to be a spring release. In fact, there was a period of a few months when the only K-mount camera you could buy in Japan was the K-r, because the K-5 was sold out.

Actually, that brings home how much better the lineup is now compared to before Ricoh acquired Pentax from Hoya. We complain about the K-3 successor being late, so we can “only” get a K-70, KP, K-1 or K-1 II. There is so much more breadth and diversity in the Pentax lineup today.

As for the idea of Ricoh prioritizing Ricoh branded products over Pentax, that’s ridiculous in the context of the above and the amount of Ricoh products that were abandoned (GXR, GX200, CX, PX). It just happens to be the case that several Ricoh products are ready at this timing.

[monochrome]

It just happens to be the case that several Ricoh products are ready at this timing.

I could swear I read on one of these threads that the GRIII had been ‘ready’ for quite some time but Pentax products took precedence. Despite searching I simply can’t find the post so I must have imagined it.

[Class A]

Class A is a vile copycat.

I posted to a different thread, so it counts as new content.

Seriously, I saw a pointer to the Ricoh slides somewhere and thought that last slide was the most interesting (for me personally).

Let's not get our hopes up too high, but let's also not get bogged down in negativity.
Ricoh is not alone in having slowed down the development pace as companies are coping with the general decline of interest for ILC.
In particular given the latest releases of Pentax products by Ricoh, it would be wrong to conclude doomsday is nigh just because we are not seeing two new cameras every year.

I think it is time for monochrome to drum up the old "Be of good cheer" mantra again.

I, for one, expect more fantastic Pentax cameras at some time in the future.

[monochrome]

I posted to a different thread, so it counts as new content.

Seriously, I saw a pointer to the Ricoh slides somewhere and thought that last slide was the most interesting (for me personally).

Let's not get our hopes up too high, but let's also not get bogged down in negativity.
Ricoh is not alone in having slowed down the development pace as companies are coping with the general decline of interest for ILC.
In particular given the latest releases of Pentax products by Ricoh, it would be wrong to conclude doomsday is nigh just because we are not seeing two new cameras every year.

I think it is time for monochrome to drum up the old "Be of good cheer" mantra again.

I, for one, expect more fantastic Pentax cameras at some time in the future.

Done!

[MMVIII]

This slide is interesting. It shows the Theta, which has not been presented officially, thus I would not necessarily read more into it.

[Mistral75]

(...)

As for the idea of Ricoh prioritizing Ricoh branded products over Pentax, that’s ridiculous in the context of the above and the amount of Ricoh products that were abandoned (GXR, GX200, CX, PX). It just happens to be the case that several Ricoh products are ready at this timing.

Nah, Ricoh Imaging are focusing on the Ricoh brand and they are just about to sell their rights to the Pentax trademark together with all the K-mount and 645-mount related intellectual property rights to an unknown Chinese company, which will use the Pentax brand to launch camera and lens projects on Kickstarter.

[/tongue-in-cheek]

[RonHendriks1966]

Nah, Ricoh Imaging are focusing on the Ricoh brand and they are just about to sell their rights to the Pentax trademark together with all the K-mount and 645-mount related intellectual property rights to an unknown Chinese company, which will use the Pentax brand to launch camera and lens projects on Kickstarter.

[/tongue-in-cheek]

Question
Does Ricoh have to pay to use the Pentax brand name because it is owned by Hoya? What would be normal business. A yearly fee, or they bought the right for like 10 years or what?

[Mistral75]

Question
Does Ricoh have to pay to use the Pentax brand name because it is owned by Hoya? What would be normal business. A yearly fee, or they bought the right for like 10 years or what?

If it were a straight licence agreement (I buy the right to put your brand on my product(s) so that I can sell more of them and/ore at a higher price -e.g.the Star Wars licences) the licence fee would be a percentage (usually between 5% and 8%, sometimes up to 12%) of the turnover generated by the branded products.

In the framework of an acquisition, everything is possible:

• unlimited, free licence
• unlimited licence with a grace period (typically five to ten years), then the licensee has to pay a fee (to encourage the licensee to switch to an own brand after the grace period -such fee could increase over time to further encourage the shift)
• free licence limited to a certain period (usually three to five years) to facilitate the transition to a brand already owned by the acquirer
• unlimited licence with a licence fee from day one (typically, when the seller divests a non-core business to somebody who has a better angle to further develop it but, in spite of the sale, intends to have a say and remain interested in the further development of the spun-off business by the purchaser because it pleasantly complements the seller's portfolio of activities)
• time-limited licence with a licence fee from day one (infrequent; the corresponding cost is rather factored into the purchase price)

[RonHendriks1966]

We will see. I don't think I would pay much to Hoya to keep the Pentax brand in current market.

[BROO]

"An eye open" is reference to a viewfinder?